Why in-person conferences still matter these days

[00:00] If somebody wants to [00:01] get involved in conferences, like is it [00:04] worth it to go to an in-person [00:06] conference in 2026 when everything's [00:08] online and there are Discords and there [00:09] are, you know, subreddits and and like [00:11] do you think the in-person component of [00:13] going to a big conference has been a big [00:15] value unlock? Is it justifiable? [00:17] >> It's 100% justifiable. I think even more [00:20] so now, you know, COVID forced a lot of [00:23] people home and so just this human [00:25] interaction, learning, communicating [00:27] with other people is like huge. Cuz [00:29] having a high density concentration of [00:31] engineers, like-minded people who are [00:33] we're not just talking about software, [00:35] coding, our craft. As things shift in [00:38] our in our world, you know, with LLMs [00:40] and just your defense against change [00:44] becomes your community. Like if you're [00:45] standing by yourself and you're like, [00:47] "It's just me. I'm by myself. I'm [00:48] applying to conferences or doing my [00:51] resume. I'm trying to survive on my [00:53] own." It's going to be really hard for [00:54] you cuz there's a whole group of people [00:56] that are talking, communicating, and [00:58] helping each other out.